tartje

Thanks ghumra, Think il go with that as well... Had a quick look on youtube and the 6000k are just that bit TOO bright I think, id be afraid Im blinding everyone coming the other way! The temperature isn't a measure of brightness, it's a measure of colour. The higher it goes the more blue it gets, the more likely you are to fail your MOT and be tugged by the police. OEM is 4,300k for a reason, it's the most efficient colour and gives the best visibility. It doesn't matter what colour it is though, the reflector based lights in IS200s are hideously inefficient and just blind everyone in the opposite direction. Someone I know with one of those kits is forever being flashed for blinding other motorists.

As a general rule, camber doesn't cause tyres to wear prematurely, bad toe settings do. -2.5° camber didn't affect my tyres, changing to 2mm toe-out and the insides are wearing like buggery. The trade off of wanting a sharp turn in. As mentioned, take it to someone you KNOW to do the job properly, such as WIM. They'll give you an accurate diagnosis and take care of your car. :)

Is there a light on the dash which illuminates telling you the boot is open? I know also that alarm systems piggy back that switch also, which completes the circuit so that if the alarm is activated, it sets the siren off. Perhaps a combination of those things all add to the increased power drain.

A car will always feel very different when swapping from worn to new tyres, even if they're the exact same brand, compound and tread pattern. The old tyres will have little tread left, and the rubber will have hardened after hundreds of heat cycles and years of being exposed to the elements. The new ones will be nice and soft and supple with maximum tread depth. Whenever I change tyres I never expect it to feel the same afterwards. My Type-R will go through a set of front tyres in about 8,000miles, so after changing them very often it's something I've learned to adjust to.

I very much appreciate the input. This kind of real world experience and advice is exactly what I'm after. Been searching the forums a fair bit, seems so far to be a good choice and ticks all the boxes of what I want. Have to have a discussion with the other half and see where we go from here :)

Thanks Tommy, I'll give it a thorough going over when I get home from work. :)

That is an excellent point. I would love an IS300 with the 5-speed auto, but I was mostly concerned about the running costs of a 3.0 I6. As much as I want a nice comfy car to cruise about it, my monthly fuel budget isn't exactly extensive What sort of MPG will an IS300 realistically get on a mixed tank? I mostly do cruising up and down the A14 to work in Cambridge, with a little backroad driving too. I'm not an aggressive driver. Kamo, thank you for the input. I'm not inherantly scared of high-milers being a big Honda fan, but I know some cars like it less than others :)

Good afternoon all. I'm a veteran of other car internet forums, so I know what a massive wealth of knowledge they can be for specific marques. Decided this would be an excellent place to research a potential purchase. Essentially at the moment, I have a 1999 Civic ES as my daily runner, and a 2000 Integra Type-R in the garage for weekends and track days. Impending baby means freeing up a little money and reducing the fleet to one car. Friend of mine has a 53 IS200 auto with the TTE kit. Always loved it, so looking into getting an IS200 or Altezza, for the sake of practicality, comfort, safety and a little sportiness. I'll be scouring the forums for info, and may well end a more permanent member if I pull the trigger. Basically looking into: - Things to look for when buying - Are high milers OK - What maintenance needs doing at relevant intervals - Are imports (Altezza) a good choice and what differences from UK models (besides obvious power from the Beams) - General running costs Does the forum also organise meets? Hope you're all well. :) tartje